Writing is like cooking chicken stew!

Hmmh… think of your favorite food. Think of how its taste melts your taste buds. Yummy right? Well I am thinking of that chicken and stew I haven’t eaten for long and my stomach is grumbling. Now, imagine this: what would you say when I told you writing can be compared to cooking your favorite food? In my case, it is delicious spicy chicken stew. How, you might ask. This is how:

For you to be good at cooking chicken stew, you must practice. You do not become good overnight. Similarly, to be a good writer you should practice in order to sharpen your cooking skills. After all, practice makes perfect!

People will always have a different opinion about your chicken stew. Some will love it and some won’t. Similarly, your writings will be criticized. People will criticize it harshly while others will give you a few pointers on how to make it better. The secret is to take criticisms positively and use them as a stepping stone improve. The more you write, the more your writing improves.

A delicious spicy chicken stew is made up of ingredients and the spices to bake it taste better. In most instances, there is a secret ingredient that makes it all the better. Similarly, to be good writers, we need ideas. We need to be creative by doing something that has never been done before or turning an ordinary idea by someone into an extraordinary idea.

The chicken stew you end up making might not be the one you had envisioned in your head. It may turn out to be good or bad. Likewise, your articles might sound bad in your head but when someone else reads it, they are impressed with what you have come up with. The secret is to never doubt yourself; he who is where he is started where he was!

Cooking chicken stew is a process, you don’t just put ingredients in your pot and expect it to come out nice. You have to be involved. You will need to stir the mixture at one point, taste the soup to get the feel or the texture, add some or breadcrumbs to thicken the soup and so on. Writing is involving as well. You will have to write the draft, rewrite, edit, re-edit, polish and add pictures to illustrate or make it prettier.

For you to cook or even eat you chicken stew, you don’t have to be dressed fancy. Cooking in pajamas can also suffice. Similarly, to write, you just need a book, pen and your thoughts.

Once you have eaten your spicy chicken stew, you have that feeling of satisfaction and contentment. You breathe easy. You are at peace. Similarly once you have written a good story that you know people will love, you are ecstatic.

Once you have mastered making your chicken stew, you will find yourself comparing yours to other people and commenting about it. Similarly you will find yourself comparing your stories with other world class authors and wanting to be like them. I say don’t be like other authors find your niche and develop it. That’s the only way you can make a name for yourself in your chosen field.

Once you are sure that your chicken stew is good enough to eat, you will want to call other people to have a taste of your newly made masterpiece. Similarly, once you write a story, do not keep it to you self. Share it.

Now that you are aware, I am going to make myself a nice chicken soup with lots of spices! Yummy! Don’t worry, I’ll share it.